Ira Sharma
Ira is a Memphis, Tennessee, student passionate about positively changing her community. She co-founded a youth organization called Young Women Against Injustice, which raised 3000 menstrual products donated to a local juvenile detention center. YWAI is also creating a policy to bring free menstrual products into all Shelby County Schools. She is also involved with the MICAH Youth Council, a group that addresses inequality and represents the interests of youth in Memphis. Global issues are also of interest to her, which she works to manage as the Girl Up Tennessee Coalition Co-president and as part of her school's Amnesty International Club. She hopes that through her work with Girl Up, Amnesty, Young Women Against Injustice, and the MICAH Youth Council, she can inspire and impact those in her community and worldwide, especially young women like herself. She enjoys playing piano, reading, and running in her free time. In the future, she hopes to attend law school and work in government.
Ruth Bader Ginsberg, or "Notorious RBG" as she has been coined by Shana Knizhnik, was an American icon of epic proportions. As remembered by the American Bar Association, "It is undeniable that the late Justice Ginsburg transformed the legal profession, the Supreme Court, and the fabric of American society through her tireless advocacy for gender equity. She was a brilliant legal scholar who left a mark on American jurisprudence both in her role on the Court and as an advocate." NSHSS hopes to honor the blazing legacy of "Notorious RBG" by awarding ten (10) applicants with $1,000 each for their efforts to embody the spirit of RBG within their own communities.